The most anxious time was during launch, just because that is so dramatic.

I find myself looking around for other new, interesting opportunities to dive into.

The space shuttle is a better and safer rocket than it was before the Challenger accident.

If we want scientists and engineers in the future, we should be cultivating the girls as much as the boys.

Everywhere I go I meet girls and boys who want to be astronauts and explore space, or they love the ocean and want to be oceanographers, or they love animals and want to be zoologists, or they love designing things and want to be engineers. I want to see those same stars in their eyes in 10 years and know they are on their way!

Even though NASA tries to simulate launch, and we practice in simulators, it's not the same - it's not even close to the same.

No, I think most astronauts recognize that the space shuttle program is very high-risk, and are prepared for accidents.